Written by: Jovita Alvares
Posted on: March 06, 2019 | 
Untitled by Jamil Naqsh
Jamil Naqsh is an integral part of the story and evolution of art in Pakistan, and belongs to a breed of artists that seem to be almost extinct today. Naqsh, and many like him, live to paint; they produce work through raw emotion and aesthetic sensibility, they paint for themselves and the art envelopes their lifestyle. Naqsh is a true modern master, and getting the opportunity to see his new body of work in Karachi was a privilege.
Titled ‘Fisher woman of my Mohenjo-Daro,’ this recent exhibition showcases a collection of over seventy pieces, displayed and spread across two storeys of the Jamil Naqsh Museum. The paintings stay true to the artist’s dexterous strokes, cubistic style and signature motifs, but explore an exciting new theme or rather, look back at one that seems to have been at the back of Naqsh’s mind for almost half a century.
Untitled by Jamil Naqsh
Upon asking one of the most fundamental questions (why ‘Fisher woman of my Mohenjo-Daro’?) during my museum tour with Cezanne Naqsh, I was taken back to a time when Jamil Naqsh was a young man in Karachi. During the mid-1960s, the young artist met Sir Mortimer Wheeler at Karachi Press Club, and asked him why the famous bronze figurine excavated from Mohenjo-Daro was called the ‘Dancing Girl’. In response, Wheeler said, “It is your Mohenjo-Daro, so what do you want to call her?”
Naqsh responded in the best way he could, through his art. And now, years later, he has produced an oeuvre that rectifies the statue, the culture, and pays tribute to the overlooked fisher women of that ancient civilisation. Throughout the series, Naqsh explores key elements that are paramount to both the motifs of Mohenjo-Daro as well as his own, and he has painted a harmony that reincarnates these historical visuals into a present-day setting.
Untitled by Jamil Naqsh
The female nude is one that has not abandoned the artist’s latest works. Several works incorporate a woman, either in the presence of an ancient built façade, amidst cattle and fish, or surrounded by the enigmatic script of the bygone civilisation. Naqsh even integrates the ‘Dancing Girl’ statue, where the nude is painted with a similar pose. In other works, the artist explores the ancient script on its own; the several paintings with the text suggest an attempt by Naqsh to decode its meaning, and present his findings through a pictorial platform.
The artist’s skill is one that is unmatched. Even through Naqsh’s unique style and cubistic overlays, the viewer can still clearly notice his understanding of line and form; the softness of flesh, the squamous of the fish, the strength of the ox, all stand out against his textured backgrounds, because of his masterful perception of dimension and colour.
Untitled by Jamil Naqsh
A shift in colour scheme is evident with this body of work. Painting mostly in an array of browns and ochres, Naqsh’s palette seems to take inspiration from the earthy tones of Mohenjo-Daro. However, the artist manages to contemporise this ancient theme, with a contrasting addition of more modern hues like, blue, green and purple. Interestingly, white becomes a repetitive tone in his oeuvre, which offsets its darker counterparts, creating art that is visually stimulating and aesthetically balanced.
Naqsh has had an extensive career. Moving from his birthplace (Uttar Pradesh, India), to a then newly partitioned Pakistan, to eventually settling down in London; the artist has had an illustrious journey of worldwide exhibitions, projects and special awards, which include the Sitara-e-Imtiaz, one of the highest civilian awards by the State of Pakistan. His consistent contribution to the art of Pakistan has truly raised him to a level of high regard. It was an honour to stand in the presence of the work of a living legend, and experience the spirit of modernist art in Pakistan.
Untitled by Jamil Naqsh
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